


Bedtime

by isabeau25



Series: Wander Home [18]
Category: Epic (2013)
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-18 23:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1447015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isabeau25/pseuds/isabeau25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nod's bedroom is almost good enough to sleep in. Almost, but not quite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bedtime

Nod stopped so suddenly that Ronin almost tripped over him. The child didn’t notice, instead looking very intently between Ronin’s bedroom door on one side of the hallway and his own bedroom door on the other. Ronin looked down at him, watching his indecision for a few moments before crouching down beside him.

“You can sleep in your room if you want,” Ronin put a hand on the boy’s back.

Nod played in his room, and hid the shinny things he collected in the nooks and crannies, and used his bed for jumping on and on very rare occasions taking naps, but he didn’t sleep in it at night. He always wanted to sleep with Ronin. The only other option that he seemed to find tenable was under the couch, which seemed unnecessary. Ronin wasn’t worried about it. Nod was still young, and eventually he would decide he wanted his own bed.

Nod’s brow furrowed, “will I be a big boy if I sleep in my room?”

“You’re already my big boy,” Ronin laughed softly, tugging Nod against his side.

Nod leaned into Ronin, “will you leave the door open?”

“Mm-hm,” Ronin nodded.

“Both doors?” Nod asked.

“Of course,” Ronin assured him.

“Will you still read me a story?” the boy gave him a speculative look.

Ronin nodded. It usually ended up being two or three stories, and as of late, Nod had wanted to read at least one of them himself, but that wasn’t the point.

“Can I have a light?”

“An oil lamp won’t burn the whole night,” nor did Ronin really want to risk Nod playing with an oil lamp, because the child seemed to consider the world his toy, “we could hang the night bright in your room though.”

Nod eyed the hanging pot at the end of the hall with the gently glowing moss spilling over the side.

“What if I change my mind?” he leaned more heavily into Ronin.

“Then you can come sleep with me,” Ronin gave him a squeeze, “I’m just across the hall.”

Nod considered carefully, then stood up straight and marched into his room, “I want two stories.”

“Two stories it is,” Ronin chuckled and followed him, pausing to lift the hanging pot off its hook.

* * *

It was passed midnight when Ronin was woken by the shuffling of little feet. He rolled over and found Nod peering at him over the edge of the bed. Nod had been asleep. Ronin had checked on him before going to bed, but he wasn’t all that surprised that he had woken up and come in. Half a night was actually better than Ronin had expected.

“I changed my mind,” Nod whispered.

“Okay,” Ronin yawned and lifted the blanket.

“Cheepcheep was cold,” Nod scrambled onto the bed and squirmed under the blanket.

“Mm-hm,” Ronin said sleepily, wrapping the blanket around the child as he snuggled against his side.

“And it was too quiet,” Nod continued, wiggling to get comfortable, “I couldn’t hear outside.”

“Mm-hm.”

Nod’s room had originally been Ronin’s study. It was on the inner side of the apartment and didn’t have any windows. It was fine for now, but Ronin supposed eventually he would need to put in a housing request for a larger apartment.

“And the night bright went out,” Nod finally stopped wiggling, head on Ronin’s shoulder and Cheepcheep under his arm, “why do they call it a night bright if it isn’t bright all night?”

“Don’t know,” Ronin mumbled.

He would have to remember to ask his captains about luminescents tomorrow at the morning meeting; one of them would know a plant that glowed all night.

Just when Ronin thought Nod had fallen asleep, the child leaned in close to whisper in his ear, “am I still a big boy?”

“Yes,” Ronin laughed, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tight, “you’re still my big boy.”


End file.
